


Reasons Why

by MaidenM



Series: Fe3H kinkmeme fills [9]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Abuse, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Attempted Murder, Canon-Typical Violence, Kidnapping, M/M, Minor Characters Mentioned - Freeform, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:33:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaidenM/pseuds/MaidenM
Summary: Hubert had a list which he had labeled “Reasons why I hate Augustus von Aegir née Airmid”. At the very top of the list he had written: He is married to Ferdinand von Aegir. At first, that was reason enough for him to hate anyone. But as time went on, the list filled and little by little his notes became less petty and more and more concerning.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Ferdinand von Aegir/OC
Series: Fe3H kinkmeme fills [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1786168
Comments: 13
Kudos: 175





	Reasons Why

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, another kinkmeme fill. Number 9 for me, one more and I'll hit double digits! This one is for Ferdinand being trapped in a arranged marriage and suffering abuse. **Please heed the tags!**
> 
> I'll be honest, I wasn't too happy with this as I wrote it but... sometimes it just feels better a few days later, right? I hope you'll like it!

Hubert had a list which he had labeled “Reasons why I hate Augustus von Aegir née Airmid”. At the very top of the list he had written: _He is married to Ferdinand von Aegir._ At first, that was reason enough for him to hate anyone. But as time went on, the list filled and little by little his notes became less petty and more and more concerning.

“It is not that bad, is it?” Ferdinand asked at the sight of his friend’s faces as he entered Hubert’s office with his hair in a most dull and unflattering style. Gone was all the volume in the flowing locks, the wavy curls that would flow around the shell of his ears like streams of gold tamed into some sort of braid arranged into a bun at the base of his neck and decorated with a garish amount of ornaments. “Augustus asked me to wear it like this today…” the minister added sheepishly. _His taste in fashion is abysmal,_ Hubert added quietly to his list as Lady Edelgard stammered slightly.

“It isn’t bad, it is just… old-fashioned,” she finally said, eyes kind but a strained smile on her lips.

“There’s old-fashioned and then there’s _that_ ,” Hubert muttered, “it is positively archaic.”

“Hubert!” Edelgard hissed quietly. Ferdinand seemed to blush slightly, his eyes not meeting Hubert’s gaze. Sighing, Hubert stepped around his desk to come over to the Prime Minister and wordlessly reached up to his face. Gently he coaxed a pair of shorter locks out of the tight hairdo, pulling them to frame Ferdinand’s face. If he allowed his fingers to graze against Ferdinand’s cheeks before he stepped back that was between him and Ferdinand.

“There, much better,” he said before returning to his desk, a matching blush on both his and the redhead’s faces. “Now, you mentioned you had news about what I asked?” he added as he sat down. Ferdinand coughed to clear his throat slightly.

“Yes, about the increases in unexplained attacks on villages and smaller towns. There have been a number of reports, but from what I hear the hidden number is greater than we might expect. Farmsteads have been found empty, with some signs of aggression.”

“Bandits?” Edelgard asked, though Hubert knew it was less of a question and more of a hope. Ferdinand shook his head.

“It does not appear to be as such. Bandits steal more often than kidnap or kill.”

Hubert nodded, making a note to prepare Edelgard’s favourite chamomile blend for the evening. The news was sure to upset her more than she would show. “Any patterns to make note of?” he asked.

“I will be sure to give your agents the information I have, they will be much better at finding such clues than I am,” Ferdinand said, frowning slightly. Hubert nodded and was just about to reply when a knock on the door interrupted them. Without even waiting for permission to enter, the door opened and that damned man who somehow had the right to call Ferdinand his husband stepped inside.

“There you are, my dear. I was told I might find you here,” Augustus smiled. “Emperor, Minister Vestra,” he added almost as an afterthought and with a too shallow bow before he stepped up to Ferdinand.

Ferdinand smiled back, though Hubert noted how it was slightly strained. Augustus however, raised an eyebrow before reaching up to tuck the stray hairs Hubert had freed back into place.

“There. That’s much better,” he chuckled and Hubert felt an unreasonable amount of anger at his words. “I hoped to collect you, Ferdinand. We need to leave soon.”

“Augustus, I’m in the middle of a meeting!” Ferdinand exclaimed, eyes widening at the suggestion he should drop everything.

“I’m sure the Emperor of Adrestia is capable of handing the rest on her own.” The comment rubbed Hubert the wrong way. If he said no, it was an affront to his Lady. If he said yes, Augustus would take him away.

“I assure you, Ferdinand is far from done with his report,” Edelgard spoke, a flash of gratitude streaking across Ferdinand’s face as she said it. “We will send him off when he is done, and not a moment sooner.”

The smarmy bastard had the audacity to look surprised for a moment before a slick smile reached his lips. “Apologies then,” he said before turning to his husband. “I will be waiting for you then.” Then he grabbed Ferdinand’s chin and pulled him into a kiss, earning him a shocked noise from the redhead and a scowl from Hubert.

Then he pulled away, leaving without even saying a word to the Emperor.

“I… I am sorry,” Ferdinand stuttered after the door had closed. “I did not expect him to--”

“Does he treat you well, Ferdinand?” Edelgard asked, her eyes hard. Ferdinand hesitated.

“He kept my sisters cared for, they survived the war because of him,” he muttered. “I couldn’t ask for more…”

“Maybe you should,” Hubert mumbled as he took out his list again. _He can touch and kiss Ferdinand whenever he wishes,_ he added to it.

***

A few weeks later he took out his list once more, it was getting longer and he had begun to keep it in his breast pocket with how often he needed to make small additions as they came to him. This time, he needed to make a big addition.

_He’s more controlling than_ _I_ _am_ , he wrote and underlined the _I_ three times.

He put the list back and looked around, taking in the bare room around him. It was, _had been_ Ferdinand’s office. Now every little trinket that spoke of the redhead’s presence was removed, as the Prime Minister would be conducting his affairs from the comfort of his home from now on. A blatant flaw in security, Hubert had argued to deaf ears. Edelgard had voiced her complaints as well, but as Ferdinand had lowered his voice and asked _“Please”_ in a voice much to small for his character they had both deflated.

There were conditions, of course. Though Hubert hadn’t missed the way Ferdinand had muttered _“Augustus won’t like that”_ when Hubert suggested one of his own aides would assist Ferdinand in his work.

When Augustus had come to collect his husband that evening, like a parent picking up their child from school, Hubert noted how pleased the man’s smirk seemed to be.

***

“I don’t like how this keeps happening,” Edelgard spoke as she put down Ferdinand’s last letter. Her frown was pensive, brows knitted tightly. “What does your agent say?”

“‘The Prime Minister is in good health, physically.’ was his last report. There’s not much to be said for his mental state, however. He doesn’t leave the manor often, and when he does it is with his husband’s company,” Hubert reported, amazed at himself that he could do it without gritting his teeth. He frowned at the letter as well, he had read it before delivering it to her Majesty. For quite a while now he and Edelgard had planned to make a visit to the Aegir manor, but once again Ferdinand had sent them a letter asking to postpone their visit a while longer. The letter bore Ferdinand’s elegant script, but Hubert could see Augustus between the lines. “Outwardly there’s no reason for alarm. Ferdinand could just be stressed from his move from the palace to Aegir,” he added, but his gut didn’t believe a word he said.

“Very well, I dislike it but I will trust Ferdinand for now. But if this goes on further I think we should make an unannounced visit,” Edelgard added with finality. “And if this is the work of that damned husband of his…”

“He wouldn’t even see me coming, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert finished smoothly as he jotted down another entry on his list. _I believe he is keeping Ferdinand from us_ , he wrote.

***

The carriage shook as they traversed the uneven ground of the Aegir countryside. Where he in any better state of mind Hubert might have made a note to suggest that something should be done about the roads but as it where he was trying not to shake from fury. Their visit to Ferdinand’s home had been short, even though Hubert felt as if Ferdinand wanted nothing but for them to stay a little longer. When they had arrived Ferdinand had greeted them at the gate, eager like a schoolboy, and helped them with their sparse luggage as though in need for something to do. Augustus had stood at the entryway, eyes never leaving the three for a second.

As they had entered the manor properly, Hubert noted that beyond the hands he and Edelgard had brought and the aide he himself sent with Ferdinand, there were no servants to be seen.

“I have missed you both terribly, you must tell me everything that is going on in Enbarr! How is Dorothea? Any news from Caspar? Oh, did Bernadetta already release her new book?” Ferdinand prattled on, even as he hugged them both.

Hubert stiffened as he took in Ferdinand’s appearance. Still a beauty, but his usual shine was dimmed. His eyes lacked their lustre, and the lines of his face were tighter. And once more was his mane styled into something unflattering.

“She did release it,” he replied carefully, “she sent all of us a copy along with a letter of thanks, did you not receive yours?”

For a moment he regretted saying it. Ferdinand's face fell, even if it was just for a second, and his eyes darted briefly towards his husband who stood to the side watching them like a hawk. Augustus remained unflinching.

“It must have gotten lost along the road. There have been a lot of bandit attacks in the area,” the bastard said.

Ferdinand frowned, but nodded all the same. “It is true, there have been a lot of merchants not receiving their parcels and reports of people going missing. I was hoping to be able to discuss the matter with you…” Edelgard nodded, walking with purpose as she lead Ferdinand towards his own office.

“Then let us get to it,” she said as the two moved down the hall leaving Hubert alone with Augustus. The two men stared at each other a while, and while Hubert knew his own gaze to be piercing he couldn’t help but to feel like it was a staring match he was losing. Eventually Augustus nodded. “It wasn’t a very good book anyway,” he spoke as he walked past.

Hours later, as they were getting ready to depart Ferdinand had some colour back on his cheeks, his smile a little easier. It had warmed Hubert’s cold heart, even a little to know that their presence had helped him. But that made the effort of leaving all the greater, and as Hubert bid his dear friend goodbye he saw the Ferdinand he had known in his boyhood. An excited, deceptively lonely child eager for whatever scraps of friendships he was offered. And just like back then, his excitement was curbed by a hand on his shoulder.

It was difficult to write in the unsteady carriage, but as they rolled towards Enbarr Hubert wrote down _Ferdinand’s smile doesn’t reach his eyes anymore._

***

The next visit Hubert made was unannounced. He had had enough, once both the aide and the agent he had assigned to look after Ferdinand had ended up missing presumed dead he had quickly written _He is a danger to_ ~~_Ferdinand_ ~~ _the Empire_ on his list and set out for Aegir immediately. Once he arrived, just before sunset, he stuck to the shadows no longer trusting that Ferdinand was safe in his own home.

The manor was quiet. The garden was overgrown. For a while he feared the worst before he finally heard the muffled sounds of an agitated conversation.

Following the sound he found himself hiding just outside, the unmanicured foliage aiding in his subterfuge. He heard two voices, one definitely Ferdinand’s and they both spoke hurriedly. He failed to make anything out. He was just about to move, to find a better vantage point when he heard a loud crash, followed by silence.

He should’ve broken in as he heard it, he told himself later. He should’ve moved, despite the icy chill that spread through his limbs and the stillness of his breath as he waited to hear Ferdinand’s voice again.

After a while, the muffled sound of Augustus’ voice filtered through once again. Calmer this time, but clearly stern. Then steps could be heard, first calm and slow ones that lost their volume as someone walked away, then hurried, frantic ones coming towards the door to the gardens.

Ferdinand burst through, closing the patio door behind him and leaning heavily against it, breath heaving and eyes clenched shut. Hubert’s heart broke as the first sob left the redhead’s lips.

“Ferdinand,” he called out, much softer than he ever though he was capable of. Still, Ferdinand whirled around as if he had shouted staring wide-eyed as Hubert emerged from his hiding place. He didn’t move as Hubert stepped towards him, as he reached up to cup his face and graze a thumb across the split in his lip.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Ferdinand breathed.

“Neither should you, clearly. Come,” Hubert tried, pulling gently at the redhead’s hand. Ferdinand remained unmoving. Amber eyes looked at him, as if he was an unattainable dream. “Ferdinand, there’s no reason for you to stay with him.”

“He has my sisters.”

Silence fell between them. Hubert looked at him, his lip bloodied and his hair falling out of today’s hairstyle and found that beneath the sorrow that was plain on his face was something even stronger. Ferdinand’s resolve had carried him through the war, and it would carry him through this as well.

“He will hurt them if I do not do as he says. I can endure this,” Ferdinand promised, though wetness gathered at the corner of his eyes. Hubert stepped closer, ran his finger through amber locks to free his hair and lay his forehead against his.

“We’ll protect them, we’ll protect all of you. Please, come back to Enbarr with me,” he begged, a whispered plea between them. Ferdinand breathed a joyless laugh as he cupped Hubert’s face.

“I do not know where he has them. I will not leave the manor until I know they are safe, I tried sending for help in the code you taught me but--”

“I received no such messages.”

“I assumed as much. Augustus said he dismissed your aide but I know better than that,” Ferdinand shook his head. “He has visitors sometimes. They arrive quickly, and with no horses or carriage. They… want things from me, claim only my sisters and I can provide them with what they need but I’m… more valuable. They pierce me with needles and drain my blood.”

Hubert drew in a deep breath, pulling Ferdinand towards him into a tight embrace. “ _Them_ ,” he hissed, fury building in his blood. The urge to warp them both away, to take Ferdinand to safety was growing stronger by the minute.

Ferdinand would never forgive him if he did, though.

“I’ll find Helen and Rebecca,” he promised as he buried his face in golden locks and breathed deeply. “And then I’ll find you, no matter how far or how well they hide you.”

“Thank you,” Ferdinand sighed, pulling away to look at Hubert properly. “You need to leave, before he notices you,” he breathed but rather than push him away he drew Hubert towards him once more and met his lips in a gentle but hungry kiss. Hubert could taste blood in his mouth from where his lip had broken.

“You know, I wished it had been you. I would have been happy with you,” Ferdinand whispered against his lips.

As they parted, Hubert allowed himself a moment to take Ferdinand in properly. To memorize the angles of his face, the colour of his eyes and the flow of his hair. One misstep and this would be the last time he ever saw him.

Then he warped away.

***

Every day after that was dedicated towards finding the lost Aegir sisters. Days turned to weeks and as those weeks turned to months Hubert was near frantic before finally making a breakthrough. If there was one blessing in all this it was that Augustus had apparently kept his word; the girls were unharmed when they finally found them. It seemed _They_ had used the rise in bandit attacks, if that’s what the attacks even were, to convince the girls they needed to be hidden away, clueless of their brother’s sacrifice.

The next step needed to be done quickly.

Hubert had kept as close an eye as he could on the manor, considering who they were dealing with there was no guarantee that Ferdinand was still kept there but if he wasn’t then it would be the first place to look for clues. Armed to the teeth, the Black Eagle Strike Force assembled once again to storm the mansion.

The building was silent, save for the clamor of armor as the seasoned warriors searched the rooms. Sheets were thrown over furniture, curtains drawn to prevent any light from filtering in. The once opulent manor had turned into a gilded prison, stripped bare of its comforts.

“F-Ferdie lived like this all this time?” Bernadetta stammered with a shudder and Hubert mentally kicked himself for not going against Ferdinand’s wishes and dragging him kicking and screaming away from this place earlier.

“Search the rooms. Work in pairs, never let your partner go off alone. Linhardt, you’re with us,” Edelgard ordered as the team split up. The healer fell in behind her and Hubert as they approached the doorway to the basement.

“If he is still here they probably have him hidden, did we ever find if the old Duke had any secret rooms?” Edelgard asked as they descended. Hubert nodded.

“He had a hidden dungeon, the snake. I doubt Ferdinand ever knew about it though even after he took over the estate.”

“Talk about a rude awakening to daddy’s pastimes,” Linhardt drawled, earning a hush from the Emperor. Judging from the stiffness of his posture, it was likely an attempt to ease his own nerves.

The basement was silent as a grave as the trio moved towards the entrance to the dungeon, Hubert’s heart sinking with every step. For every second they took getting there _They_ had more opportunity to escape, if they were even here. And if all they found was an empty room…

He thought of ginger hair, of a split lip that ought to smile once more and a wish for a different life.

A life with him.

Finally they reached the entrance, once carefully hidden but now clearly disturbed. Recently too. Hubert and Linhardt took up places on the sides as Edelgard lifted her axe and brought it down with unrestrained fury. The moment the doorway was cleared fire erupted from it.

Edelgard sidestepped quickly, armor slightly singed by magical fire and Hubert stepped in to counterattack the moment he saw an opening. His magic tore through a black-robed mage and as he geared up to cast another spell Edelgard dashed past him to cross blades with another pale-faced bastard beyond the door.

Chaos erupted as _They_ had clearly been waiting, yet not been quite prepared for just how powerful their opposition would be. Magic and metal tore through bodies as Hubert and his Lady made their way through the dungeon driven by anger and love in equal measure. Edelgard would save her friend from a darkness she knew too well and Hubert…

Hubert wouldn’t stop until he could hold Ferdinand in his arms once more.

With a loud _clang_ they broke down the door to the central cell.

“Not another step, girl-emperor,” a much too familiar yet different voice called out. At the centre of the room was a chair, leather and metal keeping its red-headed occupant restrained. Ferdinand was more gaunt than he had been all that time ago in the overgrown garden, skin bruised and littered with needle marks as a recognizable stranger stood behind him with a blade to Ferdinand’s throat.

Hubert noted with some satisfaction that despite his situation, the resolve he had fallen for still glowed in those amber eyes.

“Hubert, it has been a while since I saw you,” the voice that resembled Augustus’ spoke, “Sorry about the poor accommodations, he did keep harping on and on about you and I got tired of hearing it. Had to put my foot down, as his husband.”

“Kill him, Hubert,” Ferdinand wheezed, a defiant look on his face even as the blade at his throat dug into his skin. Hubert’s hand twitched, spell ready to fly. Still, he hesitated. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Edelgard moving slowly around the perimeter of the room.

“Careful, _Hubie_. We’ve taken so much of his blood now, I’m not sure he can stand to lose another drop,” the impostor taunted, crouching down so that he almost fully his his body behind Ferdinand’s.

“Hubert, he’s a monster, _kill him_!” Ferdinand urged, the resolve that if he had to go through him to do so he should echoing unspoken in Hubert’s ears.

“Hubert, Hubert, _Hubert_ , it’s all you ever say you little whore. I’m sure you thought about him even when I was inside you on our wedding night,” ‘Augustus’ sneered. “Makes a man truly mad to hear.”

“Give up, ‘Augustus’. You are surrounded, and that noise you are hearing is our friends coming here as fast as they can. You have no chance of getting out of here alive,” Edelgard spoke, voice firm and filled with authority. “You should surrender, allow yourself a quick death before we are joined by both the Ashen Demon and the Death Knight.”

For a moment silence hung in the air. Then, with a cackle that sent chills down Hubert’s spine, the impostor laughed.

“Ah, but we have taken enough of his blood for our plans. We are legion, girl-emperor. This mission is our success, even if I will not live to see our plans to fruition.”

And then, with a quick swipe his blade sliced Ferdinand’s throat.

Later, Hubert wouldn’t really be able to tell what had happened. All he remembered was Edelgard’s scream, Linhardt’s light filling the room, his own magic flying through the air and Ferdinand’s eyes watching him even as blood flowed down his neck.

***

  
  


Hubert stood outside Ferdinand’s room - his proper room at the palace, not that abandoned mansion - and debated with himself if he should enter or not. On one hand, he really wanted to see how Ferdinand was doing. On the other, he knew better than to get between strong-willed women and whatever they had set their mind to and judging by the sounds from inside Rebecca and Helen von Aegir shared a stubborn streak with their brother. And as Ferdinand had been instructed not to speak too much until further notice he had no choice but to endure their haranguing.

Perhaps that ought to be reason enough to disrupt the little family gathering.

Fortunately for him, the door opened just as he intended to knock to announce his entrance. The tear-streaked face of the youngest Aegir daughter moved past him without so much as a greeting as the elder sister moved backwards out the door even as she spoke.

“And if you _think_ we’re done, we’re not!” she exclaimed before turning around, giving a brief acknowledging glance towards Hubert. “Marquis, I hope you’re here to talk some sense into my headstrong martyr of a brother,” she muttered.

“If I believed it possible, I would,” he replied smoothly, earning a nod from the lady before she breezed past him after her sister. Hubert entered the room and closed the door behind him, taking just a moment to collect himself before turning to face the man currently confined to bed rest. Ferdinand smiled weakly at him, and despite himself Hubert could have sworn the room got brighter as he did.

“Apparently my sisters were not quite happy with my choices. Helen cried her eyes out once she saw me and hasn’t stopped sobbing since,” Ferdinand said, a slight grimace flashing across his face. “I have no regrets though, if what I did saved them from the same fate…”

“I would have done the same,” Hubert said softly. “Even if I understand their anger perfectly. You would do well to remember that you are loved.”

Ferdinand looked so fragile, with bandages around his neck and his cheeks still sunken after his ordeal, yet a healthy blush coated his cheeks at Hubert’s words.

“He… He was quite adept at… making me forget that,” Ferdinand spoke carefully. Slowly, he reached out his hand towards Hubert. “Might I be so selfish as to ask that you would remind me?”

Slowly, Hubert approached the bed and sat down to take Ferdinand’s hand in his. Gently he allowed his other hand to lay on top of Ferdinand’s carefully caressing the skin visible between bandages, lifting it to press soft kisses to each of his knuckles.

In his mind, Hubert was well aware of the fact that this was far from over. Ferdinand had to heal. The war in the shadows would have to continue. He had almost no leads to where to look next and _They_ presumably had a use for Ferdinand’s blood and even though he was dead Hubert found himself reviewing and adding to his list concerning the fraudulent Augustus.

But in his heart, Hubert allowed himself this moment. Allowed himself to drink in the sight of Ferdinand smiling at him, sunlight streaming through the window lending its gentle glow to his flowing locks free from any confinement. And in his heart he started a new list, giving it the title “Reasons why I love Ferdinand von Aegir”.


End file.
